Masons Hall

Masons Hall – 1913
200 East Third Street

Masonic Lodge 341 of Free and Accepted Masons was inaugurated on August 6, 1876, and the first meetings were held in the third story of a wooden building located on the west side of Almont Avenue, north of Third Street. Lodge was held in the Almont Avenue hall until January of 1887 when the Masons moved to Haskin’s Hall located on east Third Street.

Early in 1888, the lodge, at their own expense, moved into the J. C. Lamb building on Main Street and in February of that year, celebrated the opening of a new lodge room with a banquet and social party. This remained their home for 25 years, until April 1, 1913, when the lease, having expired, was not renewed. The Imlay City Order of Eastern Star was formed in 1900. (OES is an organization originally for women who were a daughter, widow, wife, sister or mother of a master Mason.)

On February 27, 1912, with the idea of building a hall, a lot on Third Street was purchased from Charles Hazelton for the sum of $1,000. To start the building project, 493 certificates were sold at $10 each and with interest to be four percent and payable in ten years.

Ground was broken on April 20, 1912, and the building of the new Mason hall begun. Volunteer workers donated their labor freely when building the basement. John Forsyth, local carpenter, and his helpers finished the building on April 5, 1913. The first meeting was held April 30th, 1913. The 4,000-square foot Masonic Hall included a large lodge meeting room, a kitchen, dining area and another smaller congregating area. The basement level contained a bowling alley.

Later, the committee found it had over built for the money that was available and a real estate loan was taken for $4,500 and a note given. In 1938 the note was paid in full. The Masons vacated the building in 1990 just before the charter for Lodge 341 was relinquished. For several years after the Masons occupancy, the building was used as a banquet hall.